The Format of Policy DebateDebate is centered around a resolution, or a statement which can be reasonably supported or opposed.

Format. A round of team policy debate consists of eight speeches. The first four speeches are called constructive speeches, because the teams are perceived as laying out their most important arguments during these speeches. The last four speeches are called rebuttals, because the teams are expected to extend and apply arguments that have already been made, rather than make new arguments. We will follow the traditional structure, but shorten the speeches to allow us to complete more debates.